- 8 hours ago
Osimhen breakthrough? Conte admits 'agreements' for Napoli striker
Victor Osimhen’s future at Napoli continues to hang in the balance, with Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG all sides monitoring the prospect of landing the Nigeria international this summer.
All three clubs are seeking a striker to bolster their squads, but have so far been left frustrated with Napoli’s insistence that Osimhen’s release clause be met in order to trigger a move.
This stands around the €120 million mark – well above the player’s current Estimated Transfers Value (ETV) of €70.1m.
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Napoli head coach Antonio Conte, however, has confirmed there is an agreement in place with the player to leave the Serie A giants.
Speaking at his unveiling, he said: "As far as Osimhen is concerned, just as I knew very well about the situation of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa, Stanislas Lobotka, on which I have placed an absolute veto.
“Having said that, I know what the situation is regarding Osimhen. I know that there are agreements, that it is a situation different from all the others. I can only assist. He is a player of the highest level, exceptional, but I cannot enter into any discussion because it is part of previous agreements which have been clearly stated to me.”
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Napoli dropping Osimhen transfer fee
There have increasingly been rumours that Napoli could waver on their stance, with the suggestion that they would now consider a move around the €100m price point. This is likely to come down as the transfer window progresses.
Osimhen is on a huge contract by their standards and without Champions League football next season, such a salary is set to be a burden on the club, particularly as the Nigeria international was not at his best last season and spent much of the last 12 months pushing to leave.
Arsenal and Chelsea, meanwhile, are both considering other options, with both agreeing that a deal for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak is too pricey for the moment.